


Love, Bloody Bill

by yukikun13



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 18:50:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14551131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukikun13/pseuds/yukikun13
Summary: It's too precious to be destroyed and too heartbreaking to be acknowledged. Older Pricefield get to listen to words that were recorded over ten years ago.





	Love, Bloody Bill

The tape had been living at the bottom of a shoe-box for the past four years. Max had noticed it when they had finally moved in together, accidentally going through the box as her curiosity bade her to do, but she had never played it. Instead she let her fingers slide over the cassette’s label, still stuck firmly in place even after almost ten years… She’d give it points for longevity, for sure. She gave it almost as many points as she gave the Sharpie that was still holding on.

The box stayed in their closet: out of sight, out of mind. She never brought it up and tried to not let Chloe fuss around too much on the bottom of their closet so she could find it and remember. There were times when the box seemed to be jutting out just a _tiny_ bit from where she had remembered it last, but she always chalked it up to one of them bumping something accidentally which moved it.

Max woke up from a nap on a Saturday afternoon and was greeted by the filtered sunlight through her blinds. She lazily opened her eyes, squinted at the light, and rolled onto her back while she stretched. “Naps feel so good…” she hummed happily to herself as she relaxed into the mattress and sighed. She waited a few more minutes before she swung her legs over the side and lifted her body. Chloe’s shirt fell back into its usual hanging position from her shoulders and draped its way almost to the middle of her thighs. One of the best parts about having a tall girlfriend was that her shirts were _easily_ the best things to sleep in.

Max rubbed her eyes as she walked towards the door. The carpet beneath her feet kept her pace silent. She walked through the open doorway and into the hallway, still half-asleep and padding slowly, when a voice, one she didn’t immediately recognize.

Max’s senses awoke with the unfamiliarity of the situation, a stranger in their apartment, and as she got closer to the end of the hallway and, incidentally, to their living room, Max’s feet came to a stop.

_“… I figured you swashbucklers might not be back to yer loot for some time, so I’ve given it extra protection from the winds and rain.”_

‘ _William…’_ It had taken a few seconds for her to remember what he exactly sounded like… It had been so long since she had heard his voice and his _terrible_ pirate impression. To be fair, it had been years since she had last listened to that recording, both because of fear of listen to it and the actual availability _of_ the tape.

_“... I’m sure you’re excited to open your time capsule, so I won’t go on too long. Just know that Bloody Bill is bloody proud of you -- both of you.”_

Max’s head leaned against the wall as she closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. Max felt like she couldn’t _breathe_. It was partially because of how she was forcibly closing her throat up so that she could keep the seemingly-instant tears at bay. Hearing William’s voice was as amazing as it was crippling. Even if she couldn’t remember how William sounded like right away, she _did_ remember the last time she heard this tape…

She remembered _everything_ about the day he died.

_“… Keep those sails trimmed and that anchor scrubbed. And always remember: the real treasure is -- your Oregon State Pre-Paid College Savings plan! Argh.”_

Max was unable to keep herself from smiling stiffly and tears slowly slid down her cheeks. ‘ _He loved us so much…’_ she thought, ‘ _He was… So, **so** good…’ _ He had truly been like a dad to her. She had been _lucky_ to know William. She knew that his wonderful presence was one of the reasons that Chloe had never really released her grief and anger over his early death. Honestly, she’d never be able to blame her for that. If it had been her dad that died, she would probably never let it go _either_.

There was a loud click from around the corner, one that made Max jump, and then she heard the high-pitched rubbing of a cassette being rewound. She never expected Chloe to put that tape onto a CD, even if there was a greater chance of it being destroyed by accident and leaving nothing behind without a backup. Another hard click, and then a softer one, and the tape started back up again.

_“Ahoy there, plankwalkers! It’s me, Bloody Bill the Pirate King!”_

Max swallowed. She lifted her hands to her face and pushed away the tears towards the outside of her face with her index fingers before she walked out from her hiding space around the corner. She hadn’t made any noise, but Chloe must have seen her move out of the corner of her eye because she whipped around on the couch and stared at her. Chloe’s eyes were wide and red, cheeks striped with shiny remains of the tears she’d clearly been shedding. She turned away quickly and slapped her fingers a few times against the buttons of the tape player to stop the tape mid-word. She cleared her throat immediately afterwards and looked at Max again. “I… I didn’t hear you wake up.” Her explanation was solid, even though it was a cover-up, and the pain on her face was still evident.

Max looked sadly at her girlfriend and finished walking over to her. She leaned over the arm of the couch, pressing her palms into it to steady herself, and kissed Chloe’s forehead. “That’s okay…” she muttered back. She saw Chloe flinch. She pushed herself back a little so she could try, unsuccessfully, to look Chloe in the eyes. “I’m surprised you’re listening to it…” she said softly.

Chloe continued to slowly fidget and kept her eyes off of Max’s face. “I… Listen every once in a while…” she admitted, the hesitance in her voice more unlike her than anything. Max frowned and looked down at Chloe’s hands as they moved into her lap.

After a pause, Max asked, “Can I listen…? Or do you want me to leave you alone for a bit…?”

Max watched Chloe’s mouth move as she tried to process her question. Chloe’s entire face scrunched together. Max couldn’t tell if she was angry or not.

“Yeah…” she said, finally, and Chloe chanced a glance up at her, “You can listen…”

Max smiled and pushed off the side of the couch before she wheeled around it and sat next to Chloe. She looked at the tape player that was on the coffee-table and then back to Chloe. Her hands lifted and her fingers gently moved into Chloe’s faded-blue hair. Chloe looked at her, forced a half-smile, and then slowly moved to start the tape up.

Max listened as the same words spit out from the tape, the same inflection of William’s voice filling their living room again. He spoke so warmly the entire time, even when he was doing the _worst_ impression of a pirate that Max could imagine, and she was torn between smiling and frowning. She looked at Chloe’s lap and resisted the urge to hold her hand. The hand that was already lingering on the back of Chloe’s neck was probably pushing her luck as it was. “He really was the best...” she said, after the tape reached its conclusion for the second time.

Chloe didn’t respond for a few seconds but nodded. “He was,” she finally croaked. She cleared her throat again and Max watched as she wiped the heel of her palm against her cheeks and into her eye sockets. Max’s fingers gently scratched at the back of her neck. Chloe barely smiled for a second. “... I really miss him, sometimes… Sometimes it’s easy… And then other times… It feels like it just happened again…”

Max’s face softened and she shifted her legs so she could lean towards Chloe and pull her head into her shoulder. “I know, sweetheart…” she murmured into her ear. They were the words that Chloe, apparently, needed the most, since a hard sob was pulled into her lungs and Max felt Chloe’s hands move around her waist and cling to the back of her shirt. “Oh, Chloe…” she muttered softly, pressing her palm to Chloe’s spine and holding the back of her head with her other hand as her girlfriend started to cry again into her shoulder.

It had been years since William had died. But Max was the first one to know that time couldn’t heal _all_ wounds.

**Author's Note:**

> This was something I had toyed with for a while, and, amazingly(!), a request on tumblr made me actually do it! So, anon, wherever you are, this one is for you! 
> 
> Like what you read? Follow me on tumblr @shesneverleavingme (Max) and @borntobedown (Chloe)!


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